What Is the Meltem?
The Gulf of Morbihan? no, Ege summer’s clockwork thermal wind — calm in the morning, stronger in the afternoon; a friend to those who plan around it, a surprise to those who don’t.
The meltem is the Aegean summer’s clockwork thermal wind. It is born from the land and sea heating at different rates: the sea is calm in the morning, the wind builds towards midday, reaches its strongest in the afternoon, and eases again in the evening. Knowing this rhythm is half the job when planning a day in Göcek.
The table below shows the meltem’s typical hourly pattern on a summer’s day and what you should be doing at each stage. The figures are the usual range for the Göcek-Fethiye stretch; in stronger periods, they all shift upwards.
The daily pattern of the meltem
Time | Wind | Plan |
|---|---|---|
Morning (early) | Calm, 0-8 kn | Ideal for longer passages and routes against the wind |
Midday | Building, 10-15 kn | The sailing starts to get good; time to approach a bay |
Afternoon peak | Strong, 15-25 kn | Stay in a sheltered bay; marina manoeuvres are difficult |
Evening | Easing | Return and settle in for calm anchoring |
Looking at a glassy sea in the morning and saying 'there’s no wind today' is a classic mistake; the meltem arrives later in the day. Plan around the forecast, not the breakfast view. In Venturi-like gaps between bays and around headlands, the meltem can freshen locally and exceed the forecast.
Simple Göcek rule: leave early, get your long leg done in the morning, spend the afternoon in a sheltered bay, and either head back before the meltem peaks or wait until it eases in the evening. And when choosing an anchorage, remember tomorrow will be the same at the same hour.